Suggestions for sowing perennial seeds

[RedClayGardener]

Hello!

My flower garden was a disaster this year. So I am determined to succeed next year.

I read that you should sow you perennial seeds in the fall for next year, but when do you do this? I am worried that they will sprout since temps are low 80s/ 50s here and we wont get our first frost until Halloween. I am also concerned about weeds.

Would it be better to sow them in February like other seeds?

How do you sow your perennial seeds?

Thanks for any help!

 

[vfem]

Well I'm in your area and this year I prepped a bed a couple weeks ago for seeds for the spring. I decided to plant most of them now. I've planted Foxglove and several other digitalis varieties. It takes them an acually FROST occuring to say HEY, now its been cold... so went its warm again... GROW!

For weeds and issues with an early growth, I planted in good soil and covered with mulch. By spring they will be really health happy seedlings.


Also, I've got many mini greenhouses started for me to plant some perenial flowers and some veggies I want for my garden. I've got the containers ready and I will mix some soil and compost in late October. I'll wet the soil and add seeds to them after our first frost. Then you just leave them be until they come up in March and sprout.

Here's a website I found on here that helps with winter sown seeds and how to make these little porch greenhouses. I think its the best way to be ready to replant in the spring.

www.wintersown.org

By the way, they send you FREE seeds to get you started! LOVE THEM!

You will have a better year next year.... I'm still new at this and I've screwed up and killed a lot this year myself. I feel I've learned and I must just move on!!!

 

[RedClayGardener]

I love that wintersown site!
I will sow my seeds this weekend since we were planning to mulch. I will have to keep extra watch over them in the spring. I planted some coneflower seeds last spring and weeds took over, but since I didn't know what coneflower looked like I watered them. I thought I was going to have big beautiful coneflowers till I took a really close look and realized the tiny flowers on them were definately not coneflowers. Oh well. I guess its like you said you have to move on. I also bought a couple of plant identification guides!

Thanks for the tips!

 

[vfem]

I have cone flowers here and have TONS of seeds if you would like to try again. I sowed in a pot and then replanted the sprouts so I knew what it was. Doing it that way saved me a lot of heart ack over weed issues.

In fact, I think they grew stronger and faster this way.

But, if you are interested PM and I'll send you some yellow 3-lobed cone flower seeds.

 

[patandchickens]

It depends what particular kind of plant. Some of them won't sprout til they have had X amount of cold so there is no danger of them coming up now (most of the ones I can think of); others, they are *supposed* to sprout in fall and make small plantlets before winter. Either way they need good protection, from cold and from drying out and from rodents etc til next spring, so put the pots somewhere out of the wind, out of direct sunlight, and possibly with hardwarecloth over 'em. Making sure to check periodically taht the soil is appropriately damp.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat